One week after his transfer quarterback was completely stifled by his former team in a winnable game. Hugh Freeze’s offense managed just 155 total yards of offense, failed to convert a third or fourth down all game, and finished the fourth quarter with one total yard.
The game ended with Jackson Arnold being sacked on fourth down to fall 16-10 to No. 9 Texas A&M, dropping Auburn to 3-2 and 0-2 in SEC play, but the third-year head coach of the Tigers is staying optimistic.
In his postgame press conference, Freeze told reporters, “It’s about sticking together through these difficult losses. We’re so close. We’re not far off.”
Hugh Freeze’s offenses continue to flounder in big games
Not far off from what, most Auburn fans would likely retort? Not far off from finally producing a winning season, which Freeze has failed to do through his first two years on The Plains? Or not far off from competing for the SEC and the College Football Playoff? Because the latter is the expectation for every coach who takes over the Auburn football program.
Freeze has recruited like a top SEC contender, assembling top 10 classes in 2024 and 2025, and the talent is apparent. Cam Coleman could be the most talented receiver in the country this side of Jeremiah Smith, and 2023 commit Keldric Faulk is playing like a first-round NFL Draft pick. The Auburn defense is elite, the receiving corps is loaded, yet Freeze continues to come up short, largely because he, once again, has gotten it wrong at the most important position.
Freeze is an offensive head coach, but with Payton Thorne and Jackson Arnold as his prized transfer portal additions at quarterback, he’s proven to be a poor judge of talent, at least this time around in the SEC. So yes, this team may be a quarterback away from winning a few of these close games, but how many more times can he be trusted to identify the next one?
With another lackluster offensive performance, Auburn is 1-10 against ranked opponents under Freeze and 5-13 in SEC play. This was the ninth such SEC game in which the Tigers have failed to score 20 points. Those are unacceptable marks for any head coach at Auburn, but are uniquely damning for an offensively-minded head man.
Auburn may have cracked the AP Top 25 with a 3-0 start, but losses to Oklahoma and Texas A&M have revealed the Tigers as a lower-tier SEC team, again, and there aren’t any signs that Freeze can be the one to elevate them. Certainly not with Arnold at QB.
Before Freeze is sent packing, he’ll likely have to send Arnold to the bench and, like all head coaches on the hot seat, hope a young QB can save his job. That’s a lot to put on Deuce Knight, but another week of Arnold may be too much for Auburn fans to take.